It Can't Hurt
by GoldenFlowers
Summary: Sequel to In the Library. Even though he knows all the reasons not to, the Doctor visits River again. It's risky, he knows, but she makes everything worth it. Rated M for mature content


1901, Luxor, Egypt

The Doctor walked up the dusty path towards the square, stone house that stood alone a little way outside the village he had just passed through. The fine sand stuck to his shoes and pants, and the cool evening breeze ruffled his hair as he glanced up towards the cliff face that reared over the small cluster of buildings below, casting a deep shadow. He paused briefly a few feet from the door of the house, hesitating, before taking a deep breath and stepping forward. He knocked on the door quietly, half hoping that no one would answer and he could flee before anything happened. But the latch clicked, and the door swung open with hardly a sound.

River Song stood there, smiling at him.

"Hello," he said softly, glancing around to hide the mix of happiness and fear he felt.

"Hello, sweetie," she said coyly.

Then she pulled him into the house and shut the door behind him.

"I thought that you said you wouldn't see me again after the last time we met, " she said, turning to face him.

"Well," he drawled, "I'm like a bad penny, me. Keep coming back. It was easy, really, once I thought about it. All I had to do was choose a point of time in your future where I could find you, and just hope like hell I didn't bump into myself. I told myself, convinced myself even that the last time would really be the last. Timelines getting messed up and all that. But the more I thought about it, this just seemed too easy. So as long as I haven't crossed over my own timeline..." he looked quickly around the house, "we're good."

"Yes we are," she said, noting his glance, and grinning at his babbling.

"Well then," he smiled.

Slipping one arm around her waist and his other hand into her hair, he drew her in close to him and kissed her gently on the lips. River let her body melt into his, feeling him smile against her lips as she did so. He moved, kissing along her jawline, pausing to whisper in her ear.

"Missed you."

She sighed softly and ran her fingers through his hair, running her other hand up and down his back before pulling him into a tight hug.

"Can you stay the night?"

He nodded, his face still pressed close to hers.

"Good. I'll make tea then."

She untangled herself from his arms and, after giving him a quick kiss on the forehead, went to the other room of the small house.

He sighed, looking around the house for the first time since entering. Thick stone walls, smooth clay floor, wooden ceiling beams supporting more stone. The room he was in was furnished with a large rug and several sizes of rough pillows, as well as a small, very low table. It looked like it could have been an old Egyptian house, in fact it likely was, he decided, guessing that that would appeal to River's affinity for old and interesting things. He kicked his shoes off and, pulling off his jacket and tossing it over one of the larger pillows, he sat down and leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes, replaying the events of the past few days over in his mind. Everyone was gone. Rose was once again in her parallel universe, with that almost-copy of himself. Everyone else was back in their own time on Earth, and Donna... _Donna, Donna, Donna._ Donna was back with her family, her mind empty of everything she had done, everything she had become while she traveled with him. He pressed his hands against his temples and closed his eyes tighter, trying to push everything out of his mind. But he was alone. So very, very alone. And nothing could push that out of his head entirely. Even when there were people travelling with him it lingered in the back of his mind. _But River._ River was here. He'd decided that it was too dangerous to visit her again, he'd told himself that over and over. But she filled his thoughts and seemed tied to his hearts. So even as he told himself he shouldn't, he'd looked through her history again to see where her life led after her teaching stint at the university. He'd found that she spent some time in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century, when archaeology was in its heyday _(of course she would)_ and still repeating to himself that he shouldn't, couldn't... he'd set the coordinates and landed, hoping against hope that he hadn't done this before. Or after.

River busied herself in the other room, her mind racing. It had been three years since this version of the Doctor had come to see her at the university. She had been surprised to see him then, and was even more surprised to see him now, knowing how cautious he normally was about the potential crossing of timelines. But she wasn't one to complain. She'd missed him. Even though she had only been with him once before, she felt a sense of... calm with him. It wasn't quite the right word. She felt more at ease with him than other incarnations though. She saw the next version of him most frequently but he was... well, he was work. He was older, but younger at the same time. Unsure, uncertain. Childlike in his love of adventure but also in his love of her. She wondered if by the end of that regeneration he would have mellowed out some. But it seemed more tied to his personality than that. This earlier version though, he was... deeper. Chatty sometimes, but more sincere. His feelings showed more clearly, and he felt more in touch with them. He was easy to be around, and she felt when she saw him as though she was seeing an old friend again. Familiar. He shouldn't feel so familiar, she knew. But he did.

He looked up as she came back into the room with the tea, noting for the first time what she was wearing. Some sort of local dress, he was sure. Layers of light linen tied around her waist, clinging and flowing, moving as she walked. She saw him running his eyes over her and grinned, swaying her hips a little, teasing, before setting down the tea and sitting next to him. She snuggled up close to him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her and pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head, before reaching out and picking up his earthenware cup. He took a sip of tea.

"This is perfect," he said, surprised.

"Of course it is," she grinned, "the next version of you complains all the time about how the way his old self liked tea was absolute rubbish, what was he thinking."

He chuckled quietly to himself, while trying to push the thought of his next incarnation being anywhere near River out of his mind. He should thank him, probably. But he felt less than thankful at the moment.

"I see you still have that book with you," he said, nodding at the journal on the table.

"Yes," she replied, "not much point in looking at it though. None of it has happened to you yet."

He nodded again, taking another sip of tea.

"I'd... I'd rather not talk about timelines right now," he winced, "can we just sit?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

They sat together quietly for a while. He tried to force his mind to let go of the emptiness he was feeling. She did her best not to wonder why he had come but to simply enjoy the fact that he was here with her. His fingers slipped under the light fabric covering her shoulder and traced circles on her skin. He breathed in deeply, smelling the mixed scents of tea, cool stone, and River. He loved the way she smelled. Warm, familiar, yet strange and hard to place. His eyes closed again as her hand rested on his thigh, her thumb stroking his leg softly through the fabric. He set down his tea and moved his hand, still warm from holding the cup, to stroke her jawline, tipping her face up towards his. She met his kiss warmly, enjoying the feel of his lips moving against hers, hearing his breath catch as she moved her hand a little higher on his thigh. He shifted his body to face her, his lips never leaving hers. His hand slid up to her hair, and he smiled inwardly as he tangled his fingers tightly in her curly hair and increased the pressure of the kiss, moving his lips more insistently, running his tongue along her lower lip, listening to her quiet gasp and feeling her body angle towards his. He drew back momentarily, searching her eyes. She gazed back levelly, her grey eyes into his brown. He hesitated, calming his knee-jerk reaction to hide everything, and trying instead to allow her to see what he felt. The loneliness, certainly, and the pain that always lingered there. Pain about her, what he knew would happen. Pride, pride that led him to find her again, in spite of the consequences. Pride he wasn't sure he could control. Anger at the circumstances he was placed in. But mixed in with all these things, peace. Peace because he was with her, because she was the only person he felt truly at peace with. Peace because there were no expectations with her. No burden of responsibility. And love. Love he still wasn't entirely comfortable feeling towards her, but she returned his gaze with such knowing that he couldn't help himself.

She looked back at him, considering. They fell so easily into this quiet interaction. Despite his hesitations, he always moved so confidently, read her so well. When they were together, it felt as though they were in some sort of quiet world all of their own, with the insanity of everything else set aside, if only for a short time. They fell into an easy pattern, both knowing that time was limited but choosing to use the time they had in the best way possible. Peace was something that they each had so rarely.

He smiled down at her, wrapping a curl of her hair around a finger.

"What do I call you? The other me, I mean."

She chuckled.

"That depends on the day, but I like it best when you call me your wife."

"I'm not sure that I can call you that yet."

"You will."

He nodded.

She snuggled her head into his shoulder, moving her hand up his chest, running her fingers over his collarbone through his shirt, tracing the line of his shoulder. His hand slid down off her shoulder and skimmed along the edge of her robe to rest on the curve of her thigh, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric. He moved his hand back up to her waist, the cloth hitching up on her leg. She slid her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth to hers again in a hard kiss, running her tongue along his lower lip before she slid it into his mouth, his lips parting with a low gasp. He pulled back, breaking the kiss momentarily as he pulled her onto his lap, her legs on either side of his, then brought his mouth back to hers hungrily, his hands gripping her waist. She braced her hands on his shoulders as he pulled her body hard against his, hearing him moan quietly into her mouth as her soft curves pressed against his angular frame. His one hand slid around to the small of her back, holding her to him as his other hand roved over her back, tracing the lines of her shoulder blades and spine before finding its way to her hair again. She pulled back to catch her breath and saw him watching her, his eyes dark and burning, mouth slightly open. She grinned at him brightly before reaching down to grip the hem of his shirt and pulled it off over his head, leaning back to admire him.

_Gods, she'd missed him._

As she ran her hands over the contours of his chest, his hands found the hem of her robe and pulled it up around the tops of her thighs so that he could feel her skin under his palms. She let her fingers brush over his nipple, and smiled as she felt his fingers grip her legs hard. He leaned forward and placed open-mouthed kisses along her neck up to her ear before whispering hoarsely.

"Bed?"

She caught his mouth in a quick kiss and moved off him, standing up and extending a hand to him as he rose as well. She held his hand tightly when he placed it in hers, and pulled him after her towards a ladder in the far corner of the room.

"I think you'll like this."

She winked at him, then turned and scrambled up the ladder and out onto the roof. He followed close behind, pausing when he got out onto the roof to look around. She had set her bed up on the roof, under the stars, covered in lightweight sheets. He breathed deep as the cool night breeze struck him. Walking up behind her as she looked out towards the cliffs, he slid his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, pulling her close against him.

"This is perfect."

She turned her face towards his, her eyes adjusting to the dimness of the starlight. She kissed his cheek softly, taking a moment to breathe in his scent and enjoy the feel of his arms tight around her. He nestled his face into her hair, sighing contentedly. She felt his one arm tighten around her waist and his other hand slide up her side. He cupped her breast, smiling as she arched into his hand and reached up behind her to tangle her fingers in his hair. His fingers found her nipple through the thin fabric of her clothes and he began to tease her while his other hand moved to grip her hip and pull her close against his body. She moaned as his fingers pinched and stroked, sending shivers through her. She let her head fall back against him and he took advantage of her exposed throat, pressing his face close to her neck and breathing in deeply before placing open-mouthed kisses on her skin, tasting her. Smiling to herself, she reached her hands up above her head and let her body slide down his under his hands, hips swaying and pressing against him. She heard him groan quietly as she moved against him, and let her hands caress his face before sliding her body back up his, feeling him press his hips hard against her, seeking friction.

"_Oh fuck, River..._" he moaned into her hair, his hand moving back to her breast again, stroking her roughly, while the other slid between her legs, rubbing in small circles through her robe as he ground himself against her from behind. She cried out softly, pushing into his hands, her breathing picking up speed. His hand moved from her breast to the collar of her robe, jerking it carelessly off her shoulder and down her arm. She shivered as the cool air hit her skin, the gasped sharply as she felt his rough, warm fingers return to her nipple. He raised his other hand to untie her robe from her waist and push the fabric aside. He ran both hands over her skin, tracing the lines of her ribs, her sides, her hips, the curves of her thighs, cupping her breasts, fingers stroking. She stretched, cat-like, under his hands, and turned to face him. His dark eyes watched her, hungry, searching. His mouth opened slightly, and she couldn't help herself. She pulled him down towards her, catching his lips in an open-mouthed kiss, her lips moving eagerly against his. He groaned into her mouth, his kiss becoming desperate. _He needed this. _His fingers tangled in her hair again, gripping tightly, pulling her head back and angling his mouth across hers_. He could never get her out of his head... she was always there, waiting for him. _She moaned softly when he pushed his tongue roughly into her mouth, and almost whimpered when he suddenly broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers, eyes tight shut, his breath coming in short gasps.

_River._ How did she do this to him? He wanted her. _Needed her. _Needed her like he needed the air. She felt so damn good.

His eyes snapped open as he felt her hands undoing the button of his trousers, unzipping his fly, fingers slipping between fabric and skin as she pushed his trousers and pants down off his hips. He helped her, kicking the clothes off his feet, then he reached up and pushed her robe off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She ran her hands down his arms and caught one of his hands in hers, pulling him after her to the bed. She slid part way under the sheets and he followed, stretching out on his side next to her, his eyes skimming over her body in the dim light. She moved closer, pushing him onto his back and snuggling up against his side under his arm. She ran her fingers over his torso, listening to his breathing and enjoying the smooth feel of his skin underneath her hand. His breath caught when she moved her hand to the inside of his thigh, sliding her way up, pausing just before touching him. She glanced up at his face, watching his eyelids flutter closed and his mouth open in a silent gasp when she wrapped her fingers around him and began to stroke, letting her thumb brush over his tip. He moved as though he was going to change position, but she stopped him, pushing him back down onto the bed. His eyes opened, watching her, questioning, and she grinned teasingly at him before moving to straddle him. She reached down between her legs to stroke him again a few times before lining herself up and sinking down onto him slowly, unable to stop herself from moaning as she felt his length slide into her, filling her. His hands moved automatically to grip her thighs as he pushed all the way up into her and held her there as he fought for some semblance of control. All his thoughts had fled from his mind as she took him, and leaving only the sensation of his skin on hers, her legs under his hands, her hands on his chest, the wet heat of her tight around him. She started to move, and so did he, in and out of her with shallow thrusts, but when clutched her thighs, trying to bring her down harder against him, she stopped and moved her hips upwards, her weight resting on her elbows, until they were connected by only the slightest touch. Then she let herself sink down until just his tip entered her, and then began to repeat the motion. He thrust upward with his hips, trying to gain more friction, but she placed a hand on him to push him down and he settled, doing his best to stay still as he felt her take him just barely inside her again and again until he couldn't take it anymore.

"River... River, please, River... _oh, fuuuuck,_" he cried out as she finally sank all the way down onto him and rose up again in long, smooth motions. She moaned as she felt him thrust up into her, hard, and she sat up, raising her arms above her head and arching her back, rocking her hips as he picked up speed, his hands gripping her tightly. She let her hands trail down her body, watching his eyes darken as he saw her fingers slide over her breasts and down her sides, along the inside of her thighs and up his chest. He almost growled as she brushed her thumbs over his nipples, but then he grabbed her tight and flipped them over in one quick motion. She wrapped her legs around him as he pounded into her, her hands clutching him tightly and her face pressed into her shoulder. His hand found her breast, and she arched against him with a gasp as he pinched her roughly. Then he reached up and untangled her legs from around him, angling her hips under him and spreading her legs so that he could push himself as far into her as possible. She shifted to accommodate him, then cried out as he began to thrust again, hitting her at just the right angle.

"Oh gods, sweetie, don't stop, please don't stop..."

She could feel heat starting to flow through her, unstoppable, and groaned as she felt him begin to stiffen inside her, feeling every movement, his thrusts becoming shorter and shorter as he pushed them toward the edge, closer... silently screaming, she came hard, fingers digging into his back, and muscles clenching tightly, almost painfully, around him. She heard him utter a low, harsh cry as he followed, grabbing her hips hard as he rocked against her, eyes shut, mouth open, body tensed.

He sagged against her, breathing hard, and they lay there together, motionless, until he slowly moved off of her and stretched out beside her on his back. She turned and curled up next to him, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, her arm across his chest. She felt her eyes begin to close and she struggled to keep them open, worried that if she fell asleep, she'd wake up to find him gone. But he pulled her closer and tipped her face up towards his.

"I'll be here when you wake up. Promise."

She sighed. The Doctor's promises. But she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer.

"You had better be."

He heard her breathing change and chuckled to himself, and pulled the sheets up over her. For now, he was content. Looking up at the night sky, he let his thoughts wander. He shouldn't be here, he shouldn't be here, he shouldn't be here... but he didn't care. She was everything he needed. She, above all things, all people, felt like home. She accepted him, asked no questions, gave him no responsibility. He grimaced, thinking morbidly that he didn't have to worry about her dying either, since he'd already experienced that. He felt guilty about that, knowing that she still had to face that day in The Library. Knowing that she would arrive there and he wouldn't know her. Knowing that she would sacrifice herself for him, out of love for someone who claimed to know nothing about her. He could never make that up to her, not in a million years. And here he was, taking advantage of her kindness and understanding, comforting himself, trying to make himself feel better about all this. What did she get out of this? Only more pain on that last day. But she didn't know that. It was his secret. A guilty secret. A selfish secret.

He shut his eyes tight and breathed deep. These moments with her were stolen in every possible way. But he was damned if he was going to let that ruin it.

–

River awoke suddenly in the dim golden light of dawn and, panicking, she quickly felt the bed next to her, afraid that he'd left during the night. But the Doctor was still there, warm beside her. He woke when her searching hand hit him and blinked groggily at her, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Thought I'd gone and left without saying goodbye?"

She collapsed back onto the bed gratefully.

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Or the last likely, I'm sorry to say. But I'm still here."

He turned towards her and pulled her back up tight against his chest, wrapping his body around hers.

"It crossed my mind last night, leaving. But then so did the thought of morning with you and I thought well, what's a few more hours."

He buried his face in her hair, breathing in deeply.

"Mmmmhhh and I'd have been a fool to give this up."

She snuggled up against him, enjoying the warmth of his skin in contrast to the chill morning air. His fingers traced lazy circles on her skin, running along the curves of her body in a light pattern. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes again. She must have drifted off again, she thought, because when she opened her eyes again his careless touches had turned into more purposeful strokes, caressing her hips and running up her sides. She felt his warm hand move up to cover her breast and she shifted a little, turning her head towards his and capturing his mouth in a long, slow kiss. She felt him smiling against her lips and moved her hand up to cup his cheek, running her thumb across the rough stubble there. He flicked his thumb across her nipple then, and felt her arch gently against him, her breath catching. He pushed his hips against her with a quiet moan, which turned into a gasp as she responded by circling her hips against him and moving her hand from his face to grip his hip bone and pull him against her harder. His hand shifted from her breast to her jaw and he tilted her face fully towards his, catching those soft, full lips with his, nipping her lower lip and running his tongue along it, before sliding his tongue slowly into her mouth. _Gods, he felt like he could kiss her forever_. The way her lips moved against his, the soft sounds she made, the way she responded so perfectly to him... He finally broke the kiss and let her head fall back onto the pillow. She watched him smile at her teasingly, then let her eyes flutter closed as he trailed his hand down her body and slid his fingers between her legs, spreading them gently, before reaching down to run a finger lightly up her slit. She opened her mouth in a silent gasp and her one hand tangled in the sheets. He moved his finger down again and pushed it gently into her a little way before sliding it up to stroke her clit lightly. Her back arched and her fingers knotted more tightly in the sheets as she tried to hold still. His strokes became gradually longer, until he was slipping his finger into her with each movement, his rough skin moving slickly against her. He paused suddenly, and she almost protested, but then he shifted his weight and pushed her gently onto her back, raising his body over hers. He gave her a quick kiss before lowering his head and taking her nipple in his mouth, running his tongue around it and sucking. His fingers returned to their previous occupation, and when he slid one finger into her all the way, he nipped at her carefully, causing her to gasp. He ran his tongue over her a few more times before moving again, sliding his finger out of her and shifting himself to lie between her legs. She felt his hands grip her hips and _oh gods yes_ he pushed his tongue into her folds and started to lap, over and over, the slick movement quickly driving her closer and closer to breaking. One of his hands left her hip, and she felt him moan loudly against her as he reached down to stroke himself while he slid his tongue over her clit. A moment later his hand ran along her leg and she felt two fingers press against her opening before he pushed them all the way in, stretching her. He increased the pressure of his tongue and started to pump his fingers in and out of her quickly, listening to her cry out and smiling to himself as he felt her start to crest. She tried to hold still as she came, clenching around his fingers, his tongue flicking over her clit, pushing her over the edge... but her hips bucked of their own accord and her hands clung to the sheets as it flooded over her. His movements became slower as he eased her down, until he withdrew his fingers from her and, with a kiss on the inside of her leg, he moved back up to lay beside her as she quieted.

After she had caught her breath, she opened her eyes to see him starting to drift back to sleep. Never one to let someone get the best of her, she raised herself up on her elbows, a sly grin on her face.

"Oh, we're not finished yet, my love," she whispered in his ear.

He blinked.

"River, I... ohhhh."

He moaned eagerly as she wrapped her hand around his length and started to stroke, running her thumb across his tip and squeezing gently as she moved her hand up and down. She watched as he tried to relax his body, but then he stiffened again when she started to kiss her way down his torso, moving slowly, almost carelessly. She settled herself between his legs and looked up at his face. He watched her, eyes dark and anticipating. _Gods, he couldn't be more sexy._ She grinned up at him. Then raising herself up a little, she lowered her head and took him in her mouth, swirling her tongue over him. His hips jerked even though he tried to hold them still.

"_Fuck, River,_" he breathed.

She began to bob her head, holding him steady with her hand. He groaned loudly. _Gods, her mouth. _Her lips around him, her tongue licking... he felt her teeth scrape lightly against him and he almost lost it.

"_Oh gods, River, fuck yes... mmhhmm stop, don't stop, please, don't stop, don't stop, fuck, fuck, fuck..._"

She began to pump her hand in time with her mouth on him, letting her fingers rove over him as she did her best to keep up a steady rhythm. Feeling him start to stiffen, she moved in long, deep strokes, taking as much of him into her mouth as she could, letting her tongue run along him and sliding him almost out of her mouth with each stroke.

"River, I can't... oh gods, I can't, River, I'm... I'm gonna... _Oh fuuuuuuuck._" he gasped, his hands flying to grip the edge of the mattress above his head, whole body tense as he tried not to slam into her mouth as he came hard, his moan becoming a hoarse cry as he felt her swallowing around him. His death grip on the mattress slowly relaxed as she released him and crawled up to lay down again by his side as he tried to catch his breath.

"Gods, you're wonderful... River, fuck..."

She chuckled as she pulled the sheet back up over them. They lay silently together for a while as the sun started to peek over the horizon.

"Does that mean my time's up?" She murmured against him as the sun hit her face.

"I wish it didn't."

"But I'm sure you've left people behind who will be needing you soon."

He winced.

"Less than you'd think."

"Ahh."

"Even so, I'm risking it staying here."

"I know. Stay with me for a little while longer though, please."

"Nothing would make me happier."


End file.
